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Among the four skills in learning English，which one of these is the “odd-man-out”? The answer is speaking．The other three you can do alone on your own．But you can’
t really speak alone! Speaking to yourself can be “dangerous” because men in white coats may come and take you away!
Where can you find people to speak English? And how can you practise speaking when you are alone?
At school If you pay to go to a language school, you should use the opportunity to speak．If your teacher asks you to speak in pairs or groups with other students, try to say as much as possible．Don’t worry about your mistakes．Just speak!
Conversation Clubs Many cities around the world have conversation clubs where people can exchange one language for another．Look in your local newspaper to find a conversation club near you．They are usually free although some may charge a small entrance fee．
Shopping Even if you don’t want to buy anything，you can ask questions about products that interest you in a shop．“How much does this cost?” ‘‘Can I pay by cheque?” Often you can start a real conversation-and it costs you nothing!
Café and Bars There are often American，Britain，Irish and Australlan bars in many large cities．If you can find one，you’ll probably meet many people speaking English as a first or second language．
Language ia all aroundyou Everywhere you go，you find language．Shop names，street names，advertisements，notices，and car numbers—When you walk down the street，practise reading the words and numbers that you see．Say them to yourself. It’s not exactly a conversation, but it will help you to“think” in English．But don’t speak too loud!
Songs and Video Repeat the words of an English—language song singing with the music until it becomes automatic．It’s good practice for your memory and for the mouth muscles that you need for English．
Above all, speak as much as possible! Make as many mistakes as possible! When you know that you have made a mistake，you know that you have made progress!
1.What does “odd-man-out” probably mean according to the passage?
A．Someone or something appearing different from the others．
B．Someone or something standing out of the group．
C．Someone or something arranged in pairs．
D．Someone or something that can be easily mistaken for another．
2.What might happen if you speak to yourself loudly in public?
A．The police will take you away and punish you．
B．The doctors will force you to stay in hospital．
C．You will have to pay to escape being punished．
D．You will be forbidden to be member of the club．
3.In which places can you learn English NOT free of charge?
A．At school, in conversation clubs and café and bars．
B．At school, in shops and café bars．
C．In conversation clubs，shops，songs and video．
D．In conversation clubs and in the streets．
4.Why does the writer say “Make as many mistakes as possible”? Because ．
A．everyone will make mistakes in learning English
B．everyone will meet people speaking English with some mistakes
C．making mistakes is a must in making progress in learning English
D．making mistakes can make one realize the importance of speaking
5.According to the passage，which way is NOT likely to be accepted by English beginners?
A．Recite poems loudly along the riverside．
B．Listen to some English fashion songs and video．
C．Find an Englishman to speak English with．
D．In class, try to practise in groups or pairs．
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About six years ago I was eating lunch in a restaurant in New York City when a woman and a young boy sat down at the next table，I couldn’t help overhearing parts of their conversation．At one point the woman asked，“So，how have you been?" And the boy -who could not have been more than seven or eight years old-replied．“Frankly, I've been feeling a little depressed lately．"
This incident stuck in my mind because it confirmed my growing belief that children are changing．As far as I can remember, my friends and I didn’t find out we were “depressed”，that is，in low spirits，until we were in high school．
Undoubtedly a change in children has increased steadily in recent years．Children don't seem childlike anymore．Children speak more like adults，dress more like adults and behave more like adults than they used to．
Whether this is good or bad is difficult to say, but it certainly is different．Childhood as it once was no longer exists．Why?
Human development is depended not only on born biological states，but also on patterns of gaining social knowledge．Movement from one social role to another usually involves learning the secrets of the new social posifions．Children have always been taught adult secrets，but slowly and in stages；traditionally,we tell sixth graders things we keep hidden from fifth graders．
In the last 30 years，however, a secret-revelation(揭示)machine has been equipped in 98 percent of American homes．It is called television．Television passes information to all viewers allke，whether they are children or adults．Unable to resist the temptation(诱惑)，many children turn their attention from printed texts to the less challenging，more attractive moving pictures．
Communication through print，as a matter of fact, allows for a great deal of control over the social information which children will gain．Children must read simple books before they 
can read complex materials．
1.According to the author, feeling depressed is ．
A．a sure sign of a mental problem in a child
B．a mental state present in all humans, including children
C．something that cannot be avoided in children’s mental development
D．something hardly to be expected in a young child
2.Traditionally, a child is supposed to learn about the adult world ．
A．through connection with society
B．gradually and under guidance
C．naturally without being taught
D．through watching television
3.According to the author’that today’s children seem adultlike results from ．
A．the widespread influence of television
B．the poor arrangement of teaching content
C．the fast pace of human scientific development
D．the rising standard of living
4.What does the anthor think of communication through print for children?
A．It enables children to gain more social information．
B．It develops children’s interest in reading and writing．
C．It helps chlldren to read and write well
D．It can control what children are to learn．
5.What does the author think of the change in today’s children?
A．He feels their adultlike behavior is so funny．
B．He thinks the change worthy of note．
C．He considers it a rapid development．
D．He seems to be upset about it．
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On Nov．18，1995，Itzhak Perlman，the violinist，came on stage to give a concert at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center in New York City．
If you have ever been to a Perlman concert，you know that getting on stage is no small achievement for him．He was stricken with polio(小儿麻痹症)as a child，and so he has braces(支架)on both legs and walks with the aid of two crutches(双拐)．
He walks painfully, yet majestically, until he reaches his chair．Then he sits down，slowly, puts his crutches on the floor, undoes the clasps on his legs，tucks one foot back and extends the other foot forward．Then he bends down and picks up the violin, puts it under his chin，nods to the conductor and proceeds to play．
But this time，something went wrong．Just as he fmished the first few bars(小节)，one of the strings on his violin broke．You could hear it snap(嘣断)---it went off like gunfire across the room．There was no mistaking what that meant．There was no mistaking what he had to do．
We figured that he would have to get up，put on the clasps again，pick up the crutches and limp his way off stage-to either find another violin or else find another string for this one．But he didn’t．Instead．he waited a moment，closed his eyes and then signaled the conductor to begin again．
The orchestra began，and he played from where he had left off．And he played with such passion and such power and such purity as they had never heard before．
When he finished, there was an awesome silence in the room．And then people rose and cheered．He smiled，wiped the sweat from this brow, raised his bow to quit us，and then he said in a quiet tone．“You know, sometimes it is the artist’s task to find out how much music you can still make with what you have left．’’
1.By saying “getting on stage is no small achievement for him”, the author really means .
A．it’s very difficult for Itzhak Perlman to play the violin with three strings
B．it’s not easy for Itzhak Perlman to get on the stage because he is disabled
C．it’s not easy for ltzhak Perlman to face such a large audience
D．it’s really great achievements for ltzhak Perlman to play the violin with three strings
2.When one of the strings broke，people thought Itzhak Perlman would .
A．go on playing with the remaining three strings
B．give up playing
C．change or repair his violin
D．get off the stage with shame
3.Itzhak Perlman when one of the strings of the violin broke．
A．gave up playing
B．didn’t know what to do
C．went on playing the same piece of music
D．went on playing a different piece of music
4.What did the audience feel when Itzhak Perlman finished playing?
A．Surprised． B．Disappointed． C．Moved． D．Satistied．
5.Itzhak Perlman can be best described as a man who is ．
A．clever B．strong willed C．humourous D．quite skilled
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The riches in the world are not found in the famous gold and diamond mines，where many men and women are digging for them．Most riches in the world are found in the cemeteries(墓地)and grave yards，buried with people’s dreams，aspirations，and unfulfilled potential．Why is it so?
Countless men and women died without ever having the courage to follow their own paths．Maybe because they were afraid to violate some kinds of social norms, maybe because they were afraid to be alone，or maybe simply because they preferred to settle for the familiar．They went to the graves，with a song that would never be heard，a piece of poetry never be written, a dance step never be initiated and a heart full of dreams and aspirations，leaving behind a life full of potential yet no legacy．
Michael Jordan，one of the greatest athletes once said，‘‘I can fail，but I cannot afford not to try．” Life remains a beautiful journey if we learn to take that step and to work that path．Every challenge and defeat in the process becomes a light post that sharpens the vision and shapes the direction forward．
“In my world nothing goes wrong，”said the great Indian sage Nmaja Dhahta Majraj．We must learn to trust the greatness within all of us and know that each of as is here to bring our unique contribution to the universal monument．If each of us learns to dance to the music we only can hear, society as a whole will evolve naturally and spiritually toward love，peace and happiness，and will be void of jealousy,envy and discrimination．
And Henry David Thoreau would say, “If a man does not keep pace with his companions，that is because he hears a difierent drum．’’And one truly believes that the path to success and happiness passes through the dancing to such a unique drumbeat．Therefore，do not die with the music still playing inside you．
1.What’s the author’s opinion on riches?
A．They are people’s dreams and aspirations．
B．They are the most important things in the world．
C．They are something we can’t possess and dream of．
D．They are gold and diamonds which we can dig for in mines．
2.According to Paragraph 2，which one is NOT the reason why so many people died without sticking to their own paths?
A．They were afraid to break the traditional norms．
B．They were used to what they were already familiar with．
C．They were afraid to hurt others and snffer setbacks．
D．They were afraid to be alone when making the dreams come true．
3.What does Michael Jordan mean by saying “I can fail, but I cannot afrord not to try”?
A．Having a try is an easy thing we can do．
B．Trying something new will bring us benefits．
C．We should be careful if we want to have a try．
D．All people are not brave enough to experience something new．
4.Which word can best describe Nihaja Dhahta Majraj according to the passage?
A．Brave． B．Healthy． C．Common．D．Self-confident．
5.How is the passage organized?
A．Topic—Argument—Explanation
B．Topic—Examples—Conclusion
C．Introduction—Comparison—Discussion
D．Introduction—Explanatton—Examples
d pass the driving test．
can read complex materials．